The Life of Buddha

The Buddha. The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it. Siddhartha Gautama - The Buddha. By finding the path to Enlightenment, Siddhartha was led from the pain of suffering and rebirth towards the path of Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened one'.

A life of luxury. Siddhartha Gautama was born around the year 580 BCE in the village of Lumbini in Nepal. He was born into a royal family, and his privileged life insulated him from the sufferings of life; sufferings such as sickness, age and death.

Discovering cruel reality. One day, after growing up, marrying and having a child, Siddhartha went outside the royal enclosure where he lived. When he went outside he saw, each for the first time, an old man, a sick man, and a corpse. This greatly disturbed him, and he learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate of human beings - a fate no-one could avoid.

Becoming a holy man. Siddhartha had also seen a monk, and he decided this was a sign that he should leave his protected royal life and live as a homeless holy man. Siddhartha's travels showed him much more of the the suffering of the world. He searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first by studying with religious men. This didn't provide him with an answer.

i watch this documentries very carefully again and again the final and last leason in this is that we should not desire for any thing this is the only way to get rid from suffering.
But the other point of view is that we shuld satified in every condition it maybe any conidition of happy or sorrow. My question is that if my leg is injured in a accident and i feel satisfied but my pain will not remove i have to bear pain untill my leg will be ok. According to my point of view dont desire is not way for get rid of suffering.
hope u understand for further contact at my email adress. thankx

Carolina B.

Dear Thapa,

Yes it is true the Buddha was born in modern day Nepal, but at that time Kapilavastu was part of India.

Dipendra

Dear Carolina
You are mistaken. Kapilvastu has never been part of India. I would suggest you to go through The history of Nepal. You seriously need to know the meaning of brave GURKHA.

thank you.

ken

it doesn't matter where he is born. what's important is the lessons he left behind.

hanan

thank you ken for steering the point away from the insignificant details.

Zombi

@thapa: They say about 4 or five minutes in that they "found a pillar" in Nepal and said it was apparent that "that was where Buddha was born" pay attention...

but since no one has said anything about it... this special is worth watching!

http://www.instinctualism.org PHILIP VAN DER MUDE

excell ! watch this video yet think for yourself durin it . rip it apart 2 gigabyte ablity of human brain power by 2 giga byte human brain power , do not get over whelmed by the information stream of ..... hierachy .

about the hurt leg thingie ,1st if your can warp your mind around the idea that pefection is BOREDOM , you could live this 1 experince of the sea turtle without , comparing today with any other possible then the pain would be a n non issue , but that would be no fun ! the oppurutunity to experince contrast or to give a it a humanized value of suffereing . is blessing for the real you " turtle " the life of a fruit fly bron in the morning dead by evening , a simple humans 70 years the torises 400 or or the red woods 1000's all no1thing ..nothing to the idea of infinity . equal to the flash of a quanta coming in and out of BEING nes , all valid oppurutunity to experince an ASPECT ... a yoke in an infintie sea .

get away from the idea of comparisions .. or human values about good or bad ( outside of expresions of bio mechincal evolution and will to live aspect ) and enjoy the oppurutunity to feel the NOW for it will all be over very very soon .

the Bramha idea of Male jobs being passed down while female were to be used to marry hopefully into more UP-wardly advantagous familys is contrary to bio mechinacs since the male sperm is the ADPTIVE aspect and the older of the success of living thru life's contrstes or challenges ( like the damamged leg ) to reproduce and bring with it in the DNa this adaptive asset ... ie western dna able to survive small pox to a level of 60% while aborinal ameican died to the tune of 95% , also example of alcohol tolerance of whites over north american natives

now with out the albity to have been brought up in the place the , normal world of civil humanity would not have been so strange as to have demanded the ..evolvution of todays Buddha . Yet in nature to life does die but it instinctual of the bio machine is to transition quickly or survie quickly orten within a window of days , not fear state of suffering and the slow years of progession to death or transistioing of civil man . ... the buddha needed to have the oppurutunity to experince CONTRAST ...like a damamged leg may provide another being .

classic idea that KNOWLEDGE of man and his schools of Brhama or university will be the savior instead of the evidence trail of the enslavement it has been for 10k years . Hierachy drw within the lines do not THINK FOR YOURSELF ! and never observe data not subject to EMPIRE ( imperical data )

you are born a clean slate with DNA expectations of bio mechanics natural for this species , dentirte memory pathways create a level of OPPURUTUNITY challenge aspects difined by the age/epoch of the being birthed we often still refer to this as MYTH story sometimes. Thus the FUN of being for the turtle or buddha was the search of a stupid aspect called HUMAN deifned enlightenment ( as if human / honid / ape is all that F'ing important on this tiny 3rd planet of a star in the middle of just ANOTHER galaxy where galaxies are like grains of sand to a universe ) I love BUDDHA !

puppetandmuppets

Buddha words was amaze me , what he said he practice it , not like other faith sellers that always said good but bad practice

which makes me wonder to him is, no blood was falling from his hands he is trully the father of peace

Syly1212

If you worship Buddha know that he is dead!

If you worship God know that He lives forever!

Ravi

Buddha never said he was god, he said he is just some one who shows you the way to end this suffering, he said take the path only if it resons with your common sense.. also said to respect all other religions and their leaders.. therefore please try to understand once religion before commenting .... for i respect and love you, your religion and your god regardless from which faith you are from. Peace and may you find your own way to eternal bliss.

JM

So how does a Buddhist deal with those from other creeds who say that theirs is the one and only true religion and that Buddhists and everyone else are devil worshippers?

Ravi

A Buddhist don't need to deal with it JM, those people are entitled to their own ideas.. but it would be wise to use common sense and study any religion before one makes a judgment.. if someone wants to ridicule a religion which teaches to respect all other religions and their leaders ... i cannot understand the reasons behind such a thing.. but they too have feeling like me.. may no harm come to them or to any one.

Anthony

Nice Doc. I see that in short order the source of the video was moved from youtube to google. Thanks Vlatki(sp) This doc describes exactly where I am in this journey called life. The beginning stages of searching for enlightenment. *bows*. Buddhism is the vehicle of choice for me.

@ Ravi; Thanks to you for being the voice of reason. You put a roadblock to my making a negative comment to syly1212.

Ahmed....

This is really cool i m tryin 2 make a very big decision of my life - to covert from muslim to a Buddhist as i hv studied both religions but my community peoples are opposing that strongly and satanically i need help can somebody tell me..........

Ravi

Ahmed my friend.. Buddhism is not something you need to convert into follow.. what matters is how you live your life.. to take the right path you don't need a label saying you are Buddhist .. read and understand what it is all about.. in Buddhism the main teaching is that we our selves must find the way.. by living correctly.. if i am not mistake even in Muslim they teach you to live a life of non-violence and do good to others.. thats all that is required.. and the final and most important thing is learning to control once mind and desires. Show kindness to those who oppose you for they too are your brothers just that they are not open minded.. peace and happiness to you. If you need any info just ask.

anbu

ravi its great to have these noble ideas!! its really good the advice you gave to ahmed and ahmed although i am by birth a hindu i am fascinated by most religions and in islam if i remember correctly there is imam ali who said"every man you meet is a muslim or a brother of humanity"!!and i really love that saying!! also you can read jiddu krishnamurti my favorite philosopher and you will learn a lot!may all be well with you people!!

Ravi

Anbu, thanks for the advice, i will most certainly read about them as well. Peace and happiness to you.

niranjan

sorry guys
nepal brave gurkhali have never been part of india its the only country which was unable to be ruled by even Britisher.Nepali(gurkhali)seeing their bravery even british government started requiting them.
The point i just wanted to say was buddha was born in nepal and nepal was not part of india.
Thank you

Bullon

Nepal has always been a part of India for centuries before British Rule , just like Pakistan,Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Accept it.

Buddha

Give me a break!!! @Bullon Who the hell are u tell us that Nepal was part of India???? huh??? did you flunk you history and geography class did you or you country teach all the b@##$%^& in the world!!!

Charles B.

Sid: You said you hope the Dali Lama becomes a Buddah. What do you mean by that?

I also know that he has asked if they want the Dali Lama to be reborn in Tibet again (as he always is), or in India next time so the Communists can't control him from birth.

Anyway, I really am not fond of Buddhists, but I'm not as worried about them chopping off my head for my opinions as I am the other guys! Seriously. But I do try to be polite as there are lots here in Korea.

Connie

@ just signing in.

Vikum

Dear Ahmed,

Read more about lord Buddha's teachings.
Venerable Achan Cha's sermons and Venerable Ajahn Brahmawamso's sermons (Available on the web) would be very
helpful for a novice like you.

vikum

Vikum

Dear Khalil Ahmed

Obviously you have misunderstood Lord Buddha's teachings.
If your leg is injured you have to seek treatment. It is a necessity just like the way we have to eat when we are hungry. There had been one or two occasions where the Great Lord himself had received treatment for minor ailments from a medic called "Jeewaka".
Desire is the craving or the longing (greed) that we feel for various things both living and lifeless. For example, you see a pretty woman and you want to have her. You start thinking about her. That is desire. And that creates suffering because everything we desire is impermanent, subject to change, subject to decay and is eventually destroyed. We cannot change the "Law of impermanence".
Methodical elimination of all craving through meditation (Vipassana Meditation) leads to "Nirvana" - the escape from "Samsara".
I will conclude by quoting a small piece of advice the Great Lord has given to a person called "Darucheeriya".

"What you saw is just that, nothing more,
think no more of it.
What you heard is just that, nothing more,
think no more of it.
What you felt is just that, nothing more,
think no more of it."

http://www.facebook.com/supersandesh Sandesh Gawai

converting to this religion or that religion doesn't matter . All that matters is are you really willing to lead a pure life of morality ... if u live a life of morality then u belong to all the religion and all religions belong to u ... If the essence of morality is lost then everything you do is just waste of time and precious life u got ....

patbb

best documentary to initiate for Buddhism, without any of the cliche usually superimposed to meditation and Buddhism by westerners, which usually greatly slow our progress at the beginning of our practice.

(instead of just doing and getting whatever results, we expect things to be very different from what they truly are. So first we must rid ourselves from our expectations, then we can begin the actual work.)

http://willconley.info/ Will Conley

You do not need to convert to Buddhism to learn from it and apply it to your life. Good luck!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ERIBLSHLO3GCP4CBOFUSBI2KKU manjula

Accept for other countries Sri lanka was never a part india. check facts before writing something.

http://willconley.info/ Will Conley

Writing is fine. Check facts anyway. Before, after, doesn't matter. Just get around to it eventually. Asking anything more of people is a bit unrealistic, you know? Nobody knows all the facts about all things. Nobody. Know what I mean?

milind bharane

how can i download this documentary

Ramesh kumar Neupane

f***ing hell Nepal was never part of any other country it is an independent country from very old histroy.........

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DYDXO4KSDNOMF5OQEEWRAZPIRU Sandhya

You can still whip your ass for dropping out history classes. Nepal and Sirlanka were never part of India. I do not know if you believe it as a fiction story or a real one, in Ramayana Ram went Lanka only to take his wife back and in Mahabharata Krishna stopped Kirat's to fight from Kaurava's side (as Duryodhan pleaded for) because he knew they were exceptionally fierce (the Gurkas in Modern days). Kirat's ruled eastern Nepal as their capital for thousands of year. If you know (I know you dont), Chandra Gupt was the first to create the modern India. But Chandra Gupt had only friendly relation with Nepal. Actually, Nepal helped and allowed army of Chandra Gupt and his troupe to hide, march and conspire attack on Magad (where Chanakya was born). Later Ashoka might have attacked Kapilbastu or some part of Nepal (there is no proof except one pillar where it has some friendly message to spread message of buddha). However, since then Kapilbastu is part of Nepal and was Never part of India. It was the British who attacked us and sized our part for some years (possibly kapalbastu was in british part at that theft). And later they returned some part of it to us in an infamous treaty. Face it.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DYDXO4KSDNOMF5OQEEWRAZPIRU Sandhya

You can still whip your ass for dropping out history classes. Nepal and Sirlanka were never part of India. I do not know if you believe it as a fiction story or a real one, in Ramayana Ram went Lanka only to take his wife back and in Mahabharata Krishna stopped Kirat's to fight from Kaurava's side (as Duryodhan pleaded for) because he knew they were exceptionally fierce (the Gurkas in Modern days). Kirat's ruled eastern Nepal as their capital for thousands of year. If you know (I know you dont), Chandra Gupt was the first to create the modern India. But Chandra Gupt had only friendly relation with Nepal. Actually, Nepal helped and allowed army of Chandra Gupt and his troupe to hide, march and conspire attack on Magad (where Chanakya was born). Later Ashoka might have attacked Kapilbastu or some part of Nepal (there is no proof except one pillar where it has some friendly message to spread message of buddha). However, since then Kapilbastu is part of Nepal and was Never part of India. It was the British who attacked us and sized our part for some years (possibly kapalbastu was in british part at that theft). And later they returned some part of it to us in an infamous treaty. Face it.

When he realized it was perfect is the only part that matters. Listen.

Natlover

This is a good documentary about Buddha but misses some important incidences of his life. There is also a good documentary about Buddha in a series "Story of India"which provides those details. It is funny as hell that here people are fighting over nation's border after watching documentary on Buddha who believed and taught renunciation. Why Nepalis are so defensive about whether Kapilvastu was in Nepal or India? Nobody knows that. What we know that there was a kingdom which could have spread in both countries. Buddha, anyway then move in present day India to live all his life and to get Nirvana. In those times, Nation's boundaries were not clearly defined and more importantly people were joined through cultures rather boundaries. It was also dependent on the King as some king would go on winning lands by war and increase their kingdom which would shrink or increase in following generations. More importantly whole present day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal (don't know about Sri Lanka) was following Vedic culture ( you can call it Hinduism now but term which is more accurate is "Sanaatan Dharm" which meant religion which is continuous with no start and end), There was no religion called Brahminism which is so many times used by narrators in documentary. Also, important point is though Buddhism is now a different religion than Hinduism, it is very much influenced by Hinduism. Buddha himself was a Hindu and meditation techniques which he used, are described in various hindu religious texts like Geeta (which is part of Mahabhartha), Saankhya yoga, Yoga vashisht etc. Hope people will take teachings from documentary rather than going into insignificant details.

RockPesc

I find it funny, if only because it's so ironic, that every time experts -- including the Dalai Lama himself -- say that Buddhism is a "science of mind" or a psychology and, therefore, not a Religion, that they fail to realize how this LOWERS or DEVALUES the very thing they're attempting to praise. So Buddhism is merely a study in psychology, aye? Then, by definition, it is the study of a lower order of reality (the Mind), and, as such, you have REDUCED it to the realm of the profane (like so many university departments studying the almighty Science). And the Buddha -- instead of a god-like being meant to be worshiped as one -- is, what?, the original psychologist? Let's be clear, this denoting of Buddhism as Psychology makes it, by definition, LESSER than true Religion, the latter being a study in ultimate transcendence of the phenomenal, the material, the visible, toward the Invisible and the Divine (e.g. God, Extinction (Nirvana), the Pure Land).

Aye, but here's the rub. If you think that Buddhism is NOT a Religion (It is, because of Its ability to transcend the worldly) and does NOT believe in a God (the Buddha has been and continues to be worshiped as Divine -- just look at the worldwide temples, statues, and the prostrating, devout millions, all in worship of or prayer to the Buddha), then you don't understand Buddhism. To call It a Psychology is not only insulting. It's just plain wrong.

http://profile.yahoo.com/6HLJ7LOIBTB3BDTZGGBXIPDYWM siru

why powerful media hide truth? why you are blind i dont know !really painfuul when they hide a true!!true is true ......why they invest for wrong information!

Chilly Zyx

I don't know about the other things you said, but I picked up the part about not believing in a God. What's the big deal about people thinking it doesn't? Not all religions need a god to be a religion, and one certainly isn't necessary to gain spirituality. Buddha himself emphasized that gods, whether they existed or not, were not the focus of his Way. Praising him is all good and well, but that may, in a sense, distract people from following the true teachings Buddha has left behind, because everyone will be deceived into thinking that Buddhism, like other religions, ascertains spirituality/afterlife by praising the God. Buddhism is not.

anuragawasthi

They shld have mentioned abt influence of samkhya school of thought(a theistic version of hinduism)on Buddha.

Kaiolani Martinez

wow, such anger writings and debates.... please wih compaasion try to only understand one another in if we can explain each side respectfully in the end if the other doesnt see your side. it is okay! patience may be exhausted, and it may be time to listen to teachings of buddah...

Donnie Lynn

Depends on your version of psychology.

Fearless Fosdick

you do not understand

disqus_CNBw4T80KB

you sir,don't have an idea of what was the buddha talking about nad thus will never reach nirvana with that mind-set and behaviour.

supesprime7

Buddha was a human being. A very, very special human being. He himself said it.

Zeus

There is no 'spirit realm', that realm itself is found in the mind. That's why rocks do not attain enlightenment and don't need a practice. 'Religion' is not necessarily high or even 'greater' than anything, it's just a thing that happens because of OUR MINDS. If anything, seeing that buddhism is about what we CAN know, not what about we can believe. Therefore we can only follow that which we have direct experience of, which is experiencing itself - which itself is something the mind does. Deal with it.